The author is writing about what experiences and goals motivated him to move to Berlin, and what he's doing here now. It's a personal article, of course it will have the author at its focus.
Actually, he doesn't even write that much about it. Apparently his decision to go to Berlin was made after asking 'his well-traveled friends' what they would suggest.
The rest his him praising himself...
All in all, I also even find the article to be very condecending.